At The Park Bench
by HaveringFool
Summary: They meet. At the park bench, they meet.
1. Chapter 1

She goes to the park bench – the rare few things left in her life that would hold her steady. She makes certain to keep her eyes looking as if they are gazing into the distance; keeping up appearances mattered now more than ever – she practices hard to move, to stride, in a manner that her stiff, immobile hands would not be seen.

She stares into the distance, taking in not the happy children playing catch with baseball gloves or of birds chirping because they found a worm; she would, she might never, she would never, catch a baseball again, or dig for worms with her brothers like they used to do as children.

She was a detective by badge and name; she lost herself when he punctured her hands.

She goes to the park bench – the rare few things left in her life that would hold her steady – because if she falls, when she falls, her own hands do not even help anymore.

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><p>She passes by the park bench, on her daily jogs, before and after work. They vary, the time of day, but she always sees the same woman there – sitting by herself, looking into the distance, hardly ever moving.<p>

She passes by the park bench, daily, for weeks and always, the same thought crosses her mind; she wonders if the woman is like her – someone who is trying, to be used to loneliness.

She has her Jane doe(s), her John doe(s), but even she knows innately that no human being should be alone. She wonders if the woman on the park bench feels alone.

She tells herself that if she's still there tomorrow, she will jog up to her and befriend.

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><p><strong>AN: **Hi there, thank you, for the time~  
>Using the park bench again, was prompted by first and foremost, by an anon of <span>shallow-seas-we-sail<span> so, the credit goes to both anon and user - for without either, I probably wouldn't have ventured near this idea of the park bench again.


	2. Chapter 2

She settles on the park bench, her stiff hands resting on her pants. Ma had to help me into my pants today, she thinks as she tries not to hurl. She tries to clench, she tries to clench.

She is settled on the park bench, with her stiff hands resting on her pants whilst her being sits on a park bench. The physiotherapist had said that she's making progress; why then, couldn't I put on my own pants. She tries to clench, she tries to clench.

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><p>She's there again - the woman on the park bench. A thought she repeats to herself as she repeats each warm up set.<p>

She's there again, I said I'll go over and befriend her. A reminder she sends herself as she jogs towards and then away.

Tomorrow, if she's still there. Tomorrow, I'll go. I won't want to disturb or offend. A consolation she offers herself as she jogs home to Bass, her only friend; a tortoise as a friend, she can handle, but not live people. A tortoise as a friend is much simpler, she doesn't want to disturb or offend. She jogs home to Bass.

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><p><strong>AN: **Hi there, thank you, for the time~


	3. Chapter 3

Her back itches as she sits on the park bench. Her back itches but she pretends that it doesn't.

She kicks at the side of the park bench when she stands.

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><p>She missed her - the woman on the park bench - by a fraction of a second.<p>

She saw her deal a kick to the park bench; she's determined to try again.

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><p><strong>AN: **Hi there, thank you, for the time~


	4. Chapter 4

Her curls are in her face. The wind is showing no mercy.

Yet again, why would it even pity me? I had rushed in and needed saving; Korsak has seen me at my weakest and most vulnerable, he would never trust me as a partner to have his back ever again. She thinks.

Her curls are in her face, and she blows them not away. She lets them cover her face; she lets them cover her shame.

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><p>She's there – the woman on the park bench – she takes a deep breath as she advances towards her.<p>

She asks if she may sit with her; the woman on the park bench offers no answer or even a response of she had heard her.

She stands there, with occasional licks to her lips, and mentally calculates how strong the wind would have to be to blow her away. She had considered that she would be ignored, but to be presented with it – she ran home to Bass, and told herself, never again.

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><p><strong>AN**: Hi there, thank you, for the time~


	5. Chapter 5

She leaned back against the park bench. Eyes clear and seeing - the wind had tire too of her today.

She leaned against the park bench. She remembered that yesterday, a woman had come up to her and asked, if she could sit with her.

She had ignored her.  
>What else could she do? Offer a handshake? Impossible.<p>

She leaned against – She sat straight up, back away from the bench.

The woman who had asked if she could sit with her, is now jogging towards her.

* * *

><p>There she is, there she is, again. She panicked internally as she considered a route change.<p>

There she is, there she is, and I'm nearing her. Her breathing escalates, nerves taking over.

There she is, there she is, and there she is. She stops in front of the woman on the park bench.

Her calves burn – the oxygen debt unpaid; it had all gone to compensate the rapidly beating heart beneath her sternum.

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><p><strong>AN: **Hi there, thank you, for the time~


	6. Chapter 6

She thought of making eye contact.

She made sure to look away.

She hadn't jogged since – The arm swinging, with her stiff hands. She hadn't jogged since.

She made sure to look away.

* * *

><p>"May I sit here?" She asks. Yesterday was yesterday, the woman looks as if she's in pain.<p>

No answer, nothing. Just like yesterday.

"I'll just sit anyway," she puts on an indifferent face. It's a public park bench, she insists to herself as she sits.

The woman looks as if she's in pain, I can't just jog away like I did yesterday.

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><p><strong>AN: **Hi there, thank you, for the time~


	7. Chapter 7

Just please don't make me shake your hand. Please. She internally pleads.

* * *

><p>Please stay, please try and stay. Please don't run home to Bass again. She thinks over and over again.<p>

* * *

><p>There is silence, as there always had been at the park bench.<p>

Yet this time, it's shared and – both women had felt - that at least this time, they have something to share.

Don't go, they both silently say.

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><p><strong>AN: **Hi there, thank you, for the time~


	8. Chapter 8

Her fingers are stiff, and her heart is thumping loudly in her chest. Who is this woman, and why is she on my park bench.

Her fingers are stiff, are resting on the park bench. Her fingers are inches away from the woman who had come and sat on her park bench.  
>She can feel the miniscule heat emanating from the woman's hand.<p>

She had to say something; the woman had come to sit on her park bench.

* * *

><p>She looks ahead, at the children who ran, at the children who played.<br>She thinks that maybe it's for the view that has this woman sitting on the same park bench, day after day.

She can hear her breathing as she can her own. She looks ahead, and breathes in deep.

She had come to sit on the woman's park bench; she had to say something to the woman on the park bench.

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><p><strong>AN: **Hi there, thank you, for the time~


	9. Chapter 9

"Hi-" they both started to say.

"Sorry I-" they both tried again to say.

They both turned first away, and then back again.

With a smile, they each took turns to say their names.

"I'm Maura," she went first; she had after all sat on the woman's bench. "May I sit?" She asks again.

"I'm Jane," she went next, "And yes, you may," she answers, "Sit, stay."

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><p><strong>AN:** Hi there, thank you, for the time~


	10. Chapter 10

Finally they knew, each other's names; and they sat on the park bench, to watch the children play.

Jane tried not to, but she focused on how her stiff fingers were so near hers.  
>She had thought a thought, one she daren't even think in much too long – that maybe one day her hand would be able to hold someone else's again.<p>

Maura tried not to, but she played back constantly the smile that had shone her way.  
>She had professional colleagues, she had Bass, but no one had ever really smiled at her that way; she hardly ever had anyone say that it's okay to sit, much less stay.<p>

The women sat.  
>They sat on the park bench, at which they had met.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: **Hi there, thank you, for the time~  
>Hope the story's alright and, I guess it's done - this is how they met, at a park bench.<br>Thank you, for the time=)


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